They're not 100% raw because you have to melt the sugar and peanut butter to make the "glue," but nothing else is heated or roasted, except when it comes in contact with the glue. But I don't think the stuff gets hot enough to the point of not being considered raw anymore.
The cool thing about this recipe is that it is very, very flexible. Don't have hemp seeds? Use sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. Have whole almonds that aren't slivered? Just crush them up a little bit before adding so they're easier to chew. You can substitute and adjust the recipe however you like. The only thing you have to be concerned about is having enough glue to keep everything together. I have trouble making it sticky enough to keep them formed into bars without falling apart, so I usually just leave them in clusters and eat it like cereal with milk.
Anyway, onto the pictures...
First of all, I figured I would take a picture of my recipe so if anyone wanted a more condensed and readable version, they could just save the picture and look at that. I'm too lazy to rotate it so it's right side up, but I didn't resize the photo, so just click on it to make it bigger and you can rotate it yourself.
 |
| Add caption |
Here's a picture of all the ingredients you'll need. Those are cashews in the yogurt container. Did I mention this recipe was vegan?
In a large mixing bowl (my ghetto version would be a dutch oven pot), combine 2 cups oats...
1/2 ground flaxseed. I grind mine in the coffee grinder. It still had some leftover grounds in it from this morning's coffee, but I didn't bother cleaning it out first because I kind of like the idea of a subtle coffee flavor. Sorry if you think this is gross.
Voila! Milled flaxseed.
If you don't have a way to grind the seeds, that's okay, just put them in the bowl whole.
Next add 1/2 cup hemp seeds. This is my favorite raw source of protein ever.
3/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
1/2 cup oat bran
1 1/2 cups slivered almonds
1 1/2 cups cashews, raw and unsalted
1 cup raisins or other dried fruit, which I didn't have today, so I didn't add. No biggie.
Then, in a separate sauce pan, heat...
3/4 cup of sugar. I prefer turbinado but when it all breaks down, it's still sugar. Sucanat is yummy to try too.
1 cup agave or honey. If you're a true vegan, obviously you'll use agave (or even maple syrup if you want). I used both because it's what I had.
When the sugar is all melted and not gritty anymore (and this may take a while and quite a bit of stirring), add...
1/2 cup peanut butter
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
After everything has melted and looks and smells lovely and thick and syrupy, remove from heat and add 1 tsp of vanilla extract, then stir together.
Pour glue mixture over the dry goods and mix together. I prefer to do it with my hands but be careful because it's kinda hot! Make sure everything is evenly coated and sticky. It's okay to lick your fingers.
Spread on a baking sheet and press firmly to make bars, or just spread loosely to make cereal clusters. I usually then freeze it to harden it up, then store in plastic containers in the fridge.
The best part is that there's minimal clean up!
Sounds delish except for the peanut butter and cinnamon. Do you have to add the peanut butter? I bet almond butter would be good.
ReplyDeleteNo, it doesn't have to be peanut butter, just any kind of butter that can help make it sticky. And the cinnamon flavor is so subtle, I don't even notice it.
ReplyDelete